


505

by c0tt0nm0uth



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, College, F/F, Fluff and Angst, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, No Smut, Original Character(s), References to Arctic Monkeys, not fanfic, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:41:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0tt0nm0uth/pseuds/c0tt0nm0uth
Summary: College freshmen Anya and Toby navigate emerging feelings for eachother. This is inspired by the song 505 by the Arctic Monkeys.
Kudos: 1





	505

**Chapter 1- Bandaids ******

********

********

“Stay still.”  
Anya flinched as Toby ran the damp cloth over her knees. The cool material sent shocks from the exposed nerves in her knees all the way to her brain. Toby sighed, “This is why you should wear kneepads when you skate.” Anya studied her expression. Her dark eyebrows were knit with concern, but the corners of her mouth subtly twitched in amusement. She stuck out her bottom lip and blew upward, sending her shoulder length dark hair up and out of her face. Anya scoffed.  
“I’m not a dork. Only dorks wear knee pads.” Toby glanced up, gazing at her under her lashes. Something inside Anya’s chest twisted.  
“I bet dorks bleed a lot less than you,” Toby scoffed “This might sting, but I’m almost done.” Anya extended her leg further over the sink so Toby could access her seeping knee easier. It was true that kneepads would save her knees, but they were already scarred and bruised. Plus, she liked having an excuse to visit Toby. It wasn’t like she needed an excuse though. They had been friends since middle school, when Anya had gotten into a fight at the local skatepark on Toby’s behalf. That day had been the first time Toby had bandaged her wounds, and wasn’t the last. Now they were in college, right across the hall from each other so Toby could reach her if Anya burned her hand on the stove or sliced her thumb cutting up apples. Both incidents had taken place already. Toby laid the ointment covered bandage over Anya’s scrape, and Anya involuntarily growled as the cool gel bit at her wound. A laugh bubbled from Toby, “What the fuck was that? Did you turn into a dog?” Anya scowled.  
“I’m in terrible pain, idiot,” she joked. Toby rolled her eyes good-naturedly and turned to the trash can to throw away the bandage wrappers. Anya fought back heat rising in her face. She hopped off of the counter she had been sitting on and blew air out of her nose in an attempt to not groan again. Suddenly she was desperate to leave. “I’m going back to my dorm now. Thanks nurse Toby.”  
“Wait,” Toby called out from the sink where she was washing her hands. She flicked the water off and trotted over to Anya, grabbing her face. Anya’s breath hitched. Her skin seemed to sizzle under Toby’s damp hands. She kept eye contact long enough for the burning anya had felt earlier return to her face. She cleared her throat. Toby grinned at the visible discomfort. “Try not to die on the way across the hall.” She pushed Anya's face away and skipped back to the sink, leaving Anya standing by the door, her heart stammering.  
“Uh, yeah. See you!”

Anya survived getting back to her room, but nearly died once inside. She collapsed on her bed, heart still hiccuping. Her eyes flicked back and forth on the ceiling, trying to settle her breathing. I must still be in shock from getting hurt, she decided. She focused on the dull pulse in her knees, the cold of the gel, how gentle Toby’s fingers were while placing the bandage. No. How the burning asphalt tore into her skin, adding new marks to her legs. Toby's fingers burning into her face.  
“Um. Hello?” Anya flew up, whipping her head to the source of the sound. Her roommate Cliff sat on their bed across the room, staring at her with confusion and concern. “Do I not get a greeting anymore?” Anya groaned again.  
“Sorry Cliff. I’m really tired.” She sighed. Cliff chuckled and went back to their book.  
“Sure, sure. Must’ve been pretty traumatizing. Did nurse Toby patch you up properly?”  
“Yeah,” Anya said halfheartedly. Cliff looked back over, and pulled a pout. They tilted their head, sending their green curls bouncing comically around their head. Anya had only met them at the beginning of the year when they were assigned each other's roommates, but she already felt close to them. They were remarkably good at picking up on people's emotions, and could make a mean smoothie.  
“You aren’t happy,” Cliff observed. Anya sighed and fell back down onto her bed, letting her arm flop over her face. She groaned again, then groaned at the fact that she’d groaned at least 10 times in the last 10 minutes.  
“I’m tired. And my knees hurt. And I’m tired.”  
“And your knees hurt?” Cliff added. Anya dropped her arm off her face and stared at Cliff.  
“You’re incredibly observant. You should be a psych major.”  
“I’ve got good news for you.” Cliff laughed. They were, in fact, a psych major. “I’ve got bad news too. We promised we’d go to Anthony’s party.” Anya groaned again, a groan worthy of an award. It lasted at least 10 seconds. She grabbed a pillow and used it to smother herself. The pillow smelled like lavender, which wasn’t a surprise because everything that Cliff touched smelled like lavender, and they had done the wash last. “That was one hell of a groan,” Cliff remarked. Anya could hear them make their way across the room to her. They grabbed her hands and hauled her up into their arms. Anya let herself be held by her friend, who at that point was taking all of her weight. “C’mon. Dylan is out of town so I need you to be my date.”  
“But I’m wounded,” Anya whined, “I’m in excruciating pain.”  
“Drinks will help with that.”  
“I’m tired.”  
“Music will help with that.”  
“I don’t wanna.” Anya complained, attempting to sink to the floor. Cliff sighed and grabbed her arms to haul her up again.  
“We promised Ant.” Anya supposed that was a good point. She took her weight back so she could pull herself away. She stuck out her tongue. Cliff grinned. “Get all dolled up. Then you’ll feel better.”

Toby had introduced Anthony to Anya. They were both in the same shadow group at the local hospital and had become fast friends. Anya learned fairly quickly that Anthony (or ‘Ant’ as everybody who knew him called him) was friends with just about everybody he met. He lived in one of the on-campus group houses and threw parties often. Anya usually enjoyed his parties, but today she felt jittery and her hands were clammy. She told herself that she didn’t know why.  
Cliff stopped outside the house.  
“You’ll feel better after you see everyone. Our friends are here, and if you get tired you know they’ll let you chill. Toby can tend to you if you pass out.” Anya knew Cliff was joking, but the idea of Toby cradling her, pressing a cool cloth against her head in the event that she did pass out brought heat creeping up her spine. Cliff held out their arm for Anya to hold. “Let’s go.”  
They had barely gotten in the door before Ant spotted them. He grinned at them, his dimples digging into his cheeks.  
“Anya! Cliff!” He bounded over and wrapped his arms around both of them. “Toby tells me you broke yourself again?”  
“Oh please, it was just a scrape,” Anya scoffed. Ant raised his eyebrows, then looked pointedly down at the bandages that covered the entire surface area of her knees. Ant and Cliff sighed together.  
“She's being grumpy,” Cliff informed.  
“Ahh,” Ant looked at Anya sympathetically, “I am prescribing you vodka. Come.” He grabbed Cliff with one hand and Anya with the other, pulling them into the already full house. LED lights framed the ceilings and ran down the corners of the walls, filling the entire space with changing colours. She spotted Toby chatting to some of her friends from the hospital and felt like she’d been hit with a defibrillator. Her hair was in two little braids that poked out awkwardly from her head. The song changed and Cliff gasped, interrupting wherever Anya’s train of thought was going.  
“505! Arctic Monkeys! We have to dance!” they squealed. They grabbed Ant’s hands to drag him out to dance, and suddenly Anya was alone. 

_I’m going back to 505. ___

____

____

Toby spotted her and promptly ditched her friends. She trotted over and made a show of pointing and gasping at Anya's knees.  
“You’re walking! It’s a miracle!” She grinned up at Anya, and the knot of tension in her gut melted away. 

_Oh, when you look at me like that my darling  
What did you expect? ___

____

____

“You really are the only true genius among doctors.” Anya smirked.  
“I am! My talent is unchallenged!” She passed Anya her cup. “Here, finish this. I’ll go get another for me.” She dashed off before Anya could respond, and she was left alone again.

_In my imagination you’re waiting, lying on your side. ___

____

____

The smell of marijuana and the stinging of her knees clouded her senses, and the song suddenly seemed very muted and quiet. White noise in her ears grew louder, so she downed what Toby had left in her cup. Anya’s palms became clammy, and she wondered if coming to this party was a good idea after all. She was considering leaving when Toby hoppeds back into the room  


_But I crumble completely when you cry. ___

____

__

“You’ve got two cups,” Anya noticed. Toby nodded, already drinking out of hers.  
“I figured you could use another. You look miserable.” She shouted over the music. The drink she had just had left a trail of fire down her throat into her stomach, where the fire grew giving her unearned confidence.  
“I’m better now,” Anya said, attempting to voice the confidence. Toby laughed,  
“Vodka does that to you.” A moment of silence falls between them. Anya felt as though their gazes were glued together, and it might hurt if she looked away. She was vaguely aware that the song ended, and the mop of curly green hair bounding over to her. Cliff threw their arms around her shoulder and sighed in satisfaction.  
“That song goes so hard everytime. Jesus.” Cliff remarked. Toby cleared her throat and looked around like she was searching for something to say.  
“Where’s Ant?” She settled on saying. Cliff grinned and waves their hand nonchalantly,  
“Oh, some girl was eyeing him up. So,” they wiggled their eyebrows. Another song that Cliff apparently liked came on, and they grabbed Anya's hands to signal that she was their new dance partner. Anya let herself be dragged into the middle of the room and away from Toby. The smoke and lights melted together in her mind, and the rest of the night was a pounding blur.


End file.
